Another Chance
by EmmaRB
Summary: After dying in the Department of Mysteries fiasco Sirius ends up in the Ministry of Death where he is reunited with an extremely angry Dorea Potter. Offered a chance to make things right he goes back in time exactly one year and sets about trying to change the world.
1. Chapter 1 (09-08 23:53:20)

Chapter One

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"

Sirius Black had no idea what was going on. The last thing he remembered he'd been duelling his bitch of a cousin in the Department of Mysteries. Now, unless he was very much mistaken, he was somewhere else entirely and Auntie Dorea was screaming at him.

Of course there was the minor issue that Auntie Dorea, and Uncle Charlus, had died more than 15 years ago but Sirius was pretty sure it really was her. 'Maybe being stuck at Grimmauld Place has done what Azkaban failed to do,' he mused. 'Maybe I really have lost my mind.'

Despite Dorea Potter's obvious fury, Sirius was comforted by her presence. When he finally snapped as a teenager and ran away from the House of Black, Auntie Dorea had welcomed him into her home with open arms. She had treated him just the same as James, her own son, and was the mother Sirius had always wished he had. Seeing her again reminded Sirius of better times in his life, happier times.

"WELL?" Dorea Potter thundered dangerously.

"I guess there's always a chance that I'm crazy. I don't think I am, though."

"Oh you're crazy alright, Sirius Black. I can't think of any other possible reason that would possess you to take a fight with Bellatrix so lightly!"

"It's only Bella," Sirius said mulishly. "What does she matter?"

"SHE MATTERS WHEN SHE'S THE ONE ABOUT TO SNUFF YOUR LIFE OUT LIKE A FLAME!"

Sirius shrugged. "It's not like I have anything to live for, anyway."

"Nothing to live for?" Dorea growled. "So my grandson is nothing to you?"

Sirius shifted uncomfortably as he thought about his godson. He loved Harry more than anything and knew that the kid would be upset about what had happened. Even so, though Sirius knew that he'd been a pretty shitty godfather. Harry would be okay without him, possibly even better off. "Harry will be fine."

Dorea raised her eyebrows, portraying her scorn in a way that only a mother could. "Really?" she drawled. "Harry's surrounded by people whom are either setting him up to die or whom insist on treating him like a child but still expect him to save the world and he'll be fine, will he? And that's not even taking into account the fact that, while Harry has caring friends, if they have to choose between him and Dumbledore, they'll always put Dumbledore first!"

Sirius sighed. He had frequently pointed out the hypocrisy of the position Harry had been placed in but had repeatedly been told either that, as a wanted fugitive, he had nothing of value to contribute to the Order or that, as he'd gotten himself sent to Azkaban, he'd given up all rights to a say in Harry's life. "I don't know what you want me to do! I love Harry and I know how messed up his life is but everybody insists that it's for "the greater good" or just outright accuse me of exaggerating. Nobody will help me!"

Dorea's expression softened. She stroked Sirius ' cheek lovingly. "You don't need any help, darling. You have it within you to change your life and Harry's all by yourself. Where's my clever boy, the one who had the strength and cunning to survive and upbringing by my idiotic nephew and his shrew of a wife?"

"Gone," Sirius said thickly, swallowing a lump in his throat. He'd been alone for so long, in a world that despised him, that just a shred of affection from his beloved aunt was enough to bring him to tears. "That person is gone. Azkaban killed him. I'm all that is left."

"I don't believe that," Dorea said, shaking her head. "That kind of strength isn't something that just goes away. Azkaban may have hurt you but I refuse to believe it broke you."

Sirius shrugged disbelievingly. "Maybe."

"There's no "maybe" about it," Dorea said firmly. "You have the power to change your life, and Harry's, simply by making different choices!"

"If you say so. Isn't it too late, though? If I'm here, wherever "here" is, with you doesn't that mean I've died?"

Dorea nodded. "It's true that you died when you fell through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries. This is the Ministry of Death where all newly departed souls come for a review of their lives and a decision about what sort of afterlife they deserve. Usually it would be a person's personal Grim Reaper that they deal with but the powers-that-be thought it would have more of an impact on you if I was the one you spoke to."

Sirius' life had been shitty enough that he'd never really contemplated what would happen after death. Still, he'd seen enough crazy things in his time that the thought of a "Ministry of Death" didn't seem that weird. "So what's going to happen to me?"

"It's been decided that as you died well before your time, after so much suffering, and as you have the ability to alter Harry's extremely important destiny for the better, you deserve another chance," Dorea explained gently. "You're going to be sent back in time, exactly one year, with all your memories intact. From there it will be up to you to change the future."

"Oh my God," Sirius whispered, overwhelmed. He didn't know if he could do this.

"You can do this. You have to do this!" Dorea said firmly, correctly guessing what he was thinking. "For both yourself and especially for Harry. He needs somebody without any divided loyalties on his side."

"You're right," Sirius said, a new resolve washing over him. Regardless of what happened to him he had to do this. "For Harry."

Dorea nodded, looking extremely proud of him. "James and Lily send their love."

"James and Lil?" Sirius gasped, looking around. "Are they here? Can I……..?"

"I'm sorry, darling, but once you pass through the Ministry of Death the first time you can't come back without special permission, permission that James and Lily do not have. Besides, if you saw them now can you honestly say that you'd be able to let them go again?"

Deep down Sirius had to admit that Dorea had a point. He missed James and Lily every day and, if he saw them again now, it would break his heart to let them go again. It was going to be hard enough to let his Auntie Dorea go. "You're right," he said softly.

Dorea pulled him into a hug. "We'll all be here waiting for you when the time is right but that time isn't now. Our lives are over but you still have so much to live for."

"For Harry. I know."

"And for yourself," Dorea reminded him. "I know things are hard at the moment but they will get better. I promise you they will."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, right."

"They will," Dorea insisted, giving him another hug. "Be brave. Be strong. And for the love of Merlin don't just blindly follow Albus Dumbledore anymore."

Sirius' lips twitched. While Auntie Dorea didn't have any of the pureblood prejudices that most of the House of Black did, she definitely wasn't a Dumbledore devotee like the majority of the light. She'd tolerated Uncle Charlus' friendship with the man – the two old mages having fought Grindelwald together – but she had flatly refused to join the Order of the Phoenix. She said she would rather die than put herself under the command of anybody as manipulative as Albus Dumbledore.

Sirius couldn't help wishing that he, James and Lily had followed her example. They'd all thought they were doing the right thing when they accepted Dumbledore's invitation to join the Order but now, in retrospect, Sirius couldn't help thinking of all the things that would have been different if only they'd just said no.

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" he asked. "For me to change things I'll have to pit myself against Dumbledore and the Weasleys, all of whom Harry is very loyal to. I can't really see the point in going back in time if Harry's never going to speak to me again and that's only if Dumbledore, or somebody else in the Order, doesn't turn me in to the Ministry, just to get me out of the way, first."

"Dumbledore can't turn you in to the Ministry without himself admitting to aiding and abetting a wanted fugitive," Dorea said dismissively. "And he won't do that because his precious reputation would be destroyed and he wouldn't want that. Besides, while Harry still looks to you for guidance you're still useful to Dumbledore. And I think Harry will surprise you. All he wants is a family and, while he is fond of the Weasleys, he knows they are loyal to Dumbledore first. You put Harry first, he'll give you his undying loyalty."

"I suppose he did risk his life to save me when he thought I was in trouble in the Department of Mysteries," Sirius mused thoughtfully. He'd always known that his godson cared for him but he'd assumed that was because he was a better alternative for a guardian than the Dursleys. Perhaps he'd underestimated the depth of Harry's affection for him, though.

"Exactly," Dorea said encouragingly. "He loves you."

"I hope so."

"I know so," Dorea said, as a gong went off somewhere in the distance. "Darling, our time together is coming to an end. You'll be going back to just after the end of the Triwizard Tournament and you'll have to start making your first changes fairly quickly."

"The end of the Triwizard Tournament," Sirius mused. "It's a pity I couldn't go a bit further back. Then there might have been something I could do to save the Diggory boy. I know his death haunted Harry."

Dorea sighed sadly. "I am sorry for young Cedric Diggory but, darling, you know as well as I do that, in a time of war, there are always casualties. It's impossible to save everybody and you'll only hurt yourself if you try."

"I know that. Harry will never accept that, though. He's already lost so much in his short life that he's willing to go to any lengths to prevent himself feeling that pain again."

"It will be a hard lesson for Harry to learn but it's something that you're going to have to teach him, Sirius. It's essential to his survival that you do. Then, together, perhaps the two of you can figure out that eventually those left behind will be okay."

"I hope so," Sirius said, privately doubting that things would ever be "okay" for him. Even if, by some miracle he lived to see his name cleared, his name would be forever tarnished. He would forever be looked upon with scorn and suspicion, a normal life forever out of his reach. He would do whatever it took for Harry to get the future James and Lily would have wanted for him, though. "I'll do my best."

"I know that you will, darling."

Another gong sounded in the distance. Sirius smiled sadly. "It's time for me to go, isn't it?"

"It is."

"Tell James and Lily, and Uncle Charlus too that I love them and I miss them and that I'm sorry."

Dorea gave him a final hug. "Oh darling, you've got nothing to be sorry for. Voldemort, Dumbledore and that little beast Pettigrew are responsible for what happened, not you. But if you really feel that you've got something to make amends for then just live the best life possible, be the best person you can be and make sure that Harry does the same. That's what we want for the pair of you."

"I love you, Auntie Dorea."

"I love you too, darling."

"Do you really think I can do this?"

"I know you can," Dorea patted his cheek affectionately. "Now get out of here. Go back and save the world."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for the positive response to chapter one! Knowing that so many people are enjoying it just makes me want to write more.

To those of you who asked so far I have planned ahead about half of this story. Thus far pairings are undecided but I can guarantee it won't be H/G or H/HR.

As for bashing, there won't be huge amounts of it in this story but, in saying that, if you're a hard out fan of Dumbledore, Snape or Molly this probably isn't the story for you. I apologize if you like them – all three have their good points – but remember that this is, for the most part, a Sirius POV story and he will never be a fan of those three.

That said, enjoy the next chapter!

 **Chapter Two**

The next thing Sirius knew he was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. It was a place that was instantly familiar to Sirius, even all these years later. Perhaps they weren't the happiest of memories but, as a teen, Sirius had spent countless hours in here waiting for Moony to recover from his transformations.

' _Moony_ ,' Sirius thought with a pang, knowing that his friendship with the last remaining real marauder was unlikely to survive the days, weeks and months that lay ahead.

Unlike that rat bastard, Pettigrew, Remus would never sell them out to Voldemort but the lycanthrope was very loyal to Dumbledore. During the long year Sirius had spent at Grimmauld Place, aside from perhaps Molly and Snivellus, Remus had been one of the loudest voices in the Order that insisted Sirius stay in the house and away from Order business. By the time the Department of Mysteries fiasco rolled around almost no vestige of their childhood friendship remained and Sirius couldn't see any way to change that.

He was going to have to make a choice between his godson and Dumbledore. Obviously Sirius would choose Harry and, as Dumbledore no longer seemed to have Harry's best interests at heart, Sirius would be pitting himself against the old man and all his followers – including Remus. It felt like the final nail in the coffin of over 10 years of friendship and it was sad but Remus had also made a choice. Remus had chosen Dumbledore over Harry and Sirius wasn't sure he'd ever be able to forgive the lycanthrope for that.

"……..Sirius, I'll need you to set off at once. Alert the old crowd and then lay low at Lupin's for a while," Dumbledore's voice intruded on Sirius' thoughts.

"No."

Sirius' proclamation caused dropped jaws all around the room. Albus Dumbledore being refused anything was not a common sight in the wizarding world. Predictably Snivellus was the first to recover his wits. "No?" the greasy potions master jeered. "Too high and mighty to help fight for what's right are you, Black? Planning to laze about as usual while the rest of us do the real work, I see."

Sirius thought that it was more than a bit rich of a self admitted deatheater to lecture him on the right thing to do. He longed to hex the git into oblivion but he look a deep, calming breath and took the high road, ignoring his old school enemy. Sirius had many more important things to do than focus on a petty rivalry that should have ended more than two decades ago.

"Albus, most of the "old crowd" as you call them, are under the impression that I betrayed everything we stood for," Sirius said, trying to explain his decision to the old man. Remembering how badly things had gone last time around when he hadn't told Dumbledore "no" Sirius was determined not to deal with all that shite again. Although they'd been informed in due course of his innocence, most of the Order had never forgiven him for the unpleasant shock of having him knocking at the door. "If I turn up on their doorsteps unannounced all hell will break loose. For the sake of unification I think it would be better for somebody everyone will instinctively trust, like you or Professor McGonagall, to go. Restarting the Order under a cloud of fear and suspicion is not the way to go at a time we need to be more together than ever and that's all my presence will create. Besides, my godson has just been through a terrible experience. He's more important right now."

Sirius didn't miss the look of happiness tinged surprise that flickered through Harry's emerald eyes. His heart broke a little bit at the realization the teen wasn't used to anybody putting him first. It shouldn't have been that way. James and Lily had loved their only child more than anything and would have burned the world down to ensure his happiness. Then, after they were gone, Sirius should have been doing that in James and Lily's place. He said a silent thank you to Auntie Dorea for giving him a much needed kick in the pants. He'd been so busy wallowing in self pity, bemoaning his own screwed up life, that he'd forgotten what was really important – Harry.

Sirius would not make the same mistake again.

Snape snorted disgustedly and muttered something along the lines of "Prince Potter."

Even Dumbledore rolled his eyes, though. "Enough, Severus!" the old man said sternly. "Severus, you know what I must ask of you."

"Yes sir," Snape nodded once and swept out of the room.

Dumbledore turned his attention back to Sirius. "I suppose that it would be more prudent for you not to reveal yourself until I've explained the situation to the Order."

"Or I could just not reveal myself at all," Sirius said thoughtfully. "Even with your support my name is forever tarnished. Some people will never trust me so it might be simpler to avoid that situation altogether. Plus it might not be such a bad thing to have somebody working behind the scenes, away from the main group."

"Perhaps, perhaps," Dumbledore said vaguely. "We will talk more after Harry has gone home to his aunt for the summer. In the mean time, as long as you stay out of sight of the general Hogwarts population, feel free to remain with your godson. I will apprise Poppy of the situation so that she does not question the presence of a dog in her domain. Perhaps she could also be persuaded to do something to improve your wellbeing as well as that of your godson."

"That would be good," Sirius admitted. He'd never been a good patient but he knew that he could do with some medical attention and better Poppy Pomfrey than anybody from St Mungos.

"Very well then, there is much to do so I will wish you all a good day," farewelled the Headmaster of Hogwarts. "Harry, rest and get well. Sirius, Molly I will speak to you both soon. If anybody needs anything you know where I am."

"Thank you, Albus," Molly nodded.

Harry reached out and grabbed his godfather's arm. "Sirius?"

Sirius idly reached out and stroked Harry's mop of messy black hair. "Professor Dumbledore is right, kiddo. You need to sleep and get well. Take the rest of the potion Madam Pomfrey left you and go to sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up. I promise."

While Harry slept Sirius surprised himself by actually talking with Molly a little. The woman would not leave him alone with Harry but, at least at Dumbledore's behest, seemed willing to give him a chance. This was wildly contradictory to Sirius' first time around but, at least to himself, Sirius admitted that could have been his own fault. He'd been too busy feeling sorry for himself to take his responsibilities to Harry seriously and Molly, fiercely protective of the black haired boy, had taken exception to that.

This time around Molly offered him something that may have been an attempt at comfort as he told the story of the marauders and seemed guilt ridden that her family had, albeit inadvertently, harbored the Potter's betrayer for so many years. Sirius hadn't been around last time to hear the teenagers explain how they knew him and also wondered if hearing the story second hand had contributed to her loathing of him. The facts were bad and Sirius could see how hearing the story from somebody who might not have had it straight to begin with could have added fuel to the fire of Molly Weasley's unpredictable personality.

Either way, while Molly was willing to play nice, Sirius would as well. He couldn't see himself ever being friends with the woman. She was too overbearing for Sirius' liking and it grated on his nerves the way she downplayed Harry's life experience and treated him like an infant. Sirius also disliked the way she diminished Bill's accomplishments and dismissed Fred and George's ambitions – those three easily being the best of her children. Still, Harry cared for the woman and Sirius knew it would be easier to work with her than against her.

The somewhat awkward conversation came to an end when the hospital wing doors suddenly burst open. Sirius tensed, wondering if he was about to be discovered. Dumbledore had said he would keep everybody away but Sirius, these days, tended to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Luckily, though, instead of a student, Poppy Pomfrey returned to her domain, having been filled in on the situation by the headmaster. "Sirius Orion Black!"

Sirius smiled at her tentatively, knowing that her bark was worse than her bite. Poppy had been one of his favorite people at Hogwarts. She had always taken care of Moony and she'd patched him up a time or two as well, when he returned to school after a long summer at Grimmmauld Place; before he decided enough was enough and ran away to James' that is. "Hi."

"Oh, come here!" Pomfrey said, pulling the surprised marauder into a hug. She didn't seem bothered by the state Sirius was in, having lived in a cave for the last several months, for the most part with only a hippogriff for company. Then again that was Madam Pomfrey – soft at heart but, at the same time, tough as nails. "Look at you."

"Not a pretty sight, I know," Sirius shrugged self depreciatingly.

"Oh, we'll change that soon enough," the woman said, already waving her wand over him, casting what Sirius recognized to be diagnostic charms. "You'll have to come into my office so we won't be interrupted while I take care of you."

"Go," Molly Weasley said softly, having noticed the conflicted look Sirius cast at his sleeping godson. "I'll stay here with him. Harry would want you to get well. I'm sure that's what he'll say if he wakes up before you come back. Besides, you won't be able to take care of Harry properly if you don't take care of yourself first."

"You're right," Sirius admitted, realizing that he wouldn't be breaking his promise to Harry if he allowed himself to be taken care of. "Lead the way, Poppy."

A few moments later Sirius was settling into a comfortable arm chair in Pomfrey's office while she locked the door behind them. "There," Poppy said, satisfied. "Nobody will be able to find you in here now."

Sirius smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you. I'd rather die than go back to Azkaban."

"I think you've already had a pretty good go at that, haven't you?" Pomfrey asked gently.

Sirius unconsciously rubbed the scars his arms, recalling the moment in Azkaban he'd finally reached his breaking point. "I assume Dumbledore told you about my animagus form. That helped a lot to fight against the effects of the dementors – your emotions are simpler as an animal, you see. It also helped to know that I was innocent. It was a fact, not a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't take it away from me and I held on to my mind. I had to live with the guilt of what, however inadvertently, I'd done to the people I love more than anyone else in the world and eventually that got too much. I snapped. I was lying there, dying, and I was happy because I thought I'd see my best friends again and get to beg their forgiveness. The dementors picked up on that and alerted the aurour guards. They saved my life, saying that they weren't going to let me take the easy way out."

Madam Pomfrey sat next to Sirius and held his hand. "And do you still feel that way?"

Sirius shook his head. It was a tough subject to tackle but it was honestly a relief to talk about the darkest time in his life. He had never admitted to anybody what he'd done, either in this timeline or the one he was intending to change. "No way. It was a bad couple of years after that but then I found out where the rat was and suddenly I had a purpose again. I broke out of Azkaban knowing that I had to do whatever it took to stay alive so I could protect Harry. Plus, I'm reliably informed that things are going to get better in the near future."

"Then we'll say no more about it," Poppy declared. "On the condition that you make me a promise."

"Anything," Sirius promised.

"That if you start feeling that way again you'll come and see me straight away," Poppy said seriously.

Sirius smiled affectionately at her. She had always been good to him, even when almost everybody else in the world conveniently overlooked the poor condition he was in. "Of course, Poppy."

"For how long you spent in prison and then on the run, your condition could be a lot worse," Pomfrey told him, studying the results of her diagnostic charms.

"I've spent the last seven months hiding in Hogsmeade," Sirius told her. "Harry's been sending me proper food from the Hogwarts kitchens. That helped a lot, although probably not as much as it should have. I ate so much I made myself sick when the first parcel arrived. I thought my stomach had just shrunk after years of the rubbish in Azkaban and next to nothing on the run. I thought it would get better in time. It hasn't though so I still can't eat enough and I haven't been putting on any weight."

"We can fix that," Poppy promised. "Although the initial potions regime is pretty brutal. You'll have to stay in bed for at least the first few days."

"Can it wait until after the end of the school term, then?" Sirius asked, not looking forward to the treatment but knowing that it was necessary. "That way there will be fewer people in the castle to potentially find me and alert the ministry. Plus I'd like to spend some time with my godson while I can."

"That makes sense," Poppy agreed. "Plus I will need a few days to gather all the necessary medicines for somebody with malnutrition as severe as yours. I expect to see you back here as soon as you've seen young Mr Potter onto the Hogwarts Express, though."

"Thank you, Poppy," Sirius said gratefully. "Both for looking out for Harry and for me. Not many would be willing to give me a chance."

"You always were so devoted to the Potters. Somebody should have spoken up and questioned the charges against you," Poppy said regretfully.

Sirius felt a surge of anger, just like he always did, when he thought about how thoroughly he had been hung out to dry. Snape had gotten off all charges against him and even a bitch like Bella had been granted the courtesy of a trial while he, who had fought to prove he was different from his family since he was 11 years old and who had risked life and limb fighting for the light, had been left to rot. Poppy was right – somebody definitely should have spoken up for him. It wasn't her responsibility, though. Poppy was in no way responsible For the fiasco that had unfolded in 1981 so he ruthlessly suppressed the surge of anger. He knew he needed to learn to control his temper. It had gotten him into so much trouble that could have been so easily avoided over the years.

Instead of wallowing in the misery of the past he had to look towards the future and hope that Auntie Dorea was right when she said that everything was going to get better.


End file.
